The Young and the Hopeless
by Angel of Insanity
Summary: [Completed] The Titans struggle with hormones, new relationships, and an attack on their city that is far from straight forward. Are they truly hopeless or can they get their personal and professional lives under control?
1. Chapter 1: Courtship Rituals

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 1: Courtship Rituals

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Author's Note: My first Teen Titans fiction, hope it's not too terrible. I've had this idea stuck in my head for some time, so I'm venturing out of my world of anime and into the Titan's world. Anyway, this is just a nice romance story with some action/adventure thrown in to be fun. Standard warnings apply for a "R" fic: a little lemon, some cursing, and probably some nice violence later on. Promise to make this worth your time.

Pairings: Starfire/Robin, Raven/Beast Boy

---

Koriand'r, Princess of Tamaran, otherwise known as Starfire let out a small gasp as she crossed the threshold into Titan's Tower. Clutching the bag of groceries in her arms tightly to her chest, her green eyes surveyed the scene taking place. Tilting her head to the side, Starfire cocked an eyebrow and threw a glance over her shoulder in Robin's direction.

"Robin, is this how you Earthlings perform your courtship rituals?"

A mix of purple and black apparel littered the living room, with Raven's cloak resting on the back on the couch. Her pale form was partially covered by Beast Boy, his green arms stretched up to capture her own, her wrists caught in his capable hands. Neither the empath or the changeling noticed the intrusion, as her eyes were closed and his face was buried between her legs. With Robin and Cyborg reduced to stuttering heaps behind her, Starfire cleared her throat and set her bag down on the kitchen table. Almost immediately Beast Boy let out a yelp, the t.v. screen blew out, and Raven let out a loud curse.

"Wha..."

"Man, that's like...damn..."

"Well, Robin, is that how courtship rituals take place on your planet? With the female prone and the male's head between..."

The Boy Wonder had recovered enough to slap his hand over Starfire's mouth, all the while averting his eyes and trying to form an apology. Cyborg had completely turned around, his attention wholly focused on the security control panel. The Tamaranean, however, continued to stare forward, seemingly comfortable with the whole situation. She soon turned away as Raven shot a death glare in her direction when Beast Boy shifted to dress. Tugging Robin's hand away from her mouth, the young woman twisted, her face lighting up into a bright blush as she faced him. Taking a deep breath, she again cocked an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak again.

"No, Star, you wouldn't exactly call that a 'courtship ritual.' Beast Boy and I were engaging in some sort of pleasure, however."

"Ah man, you guys weren't supposed to be back for another hour!"

Raven's voice was strangely gruff, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Slipping the hood of her cloak over her head, the half demon's face was soon devoid of emotion and she rolled her eyes. Once again in her emotionless state, the dark haired empathy did have the presence of mind to grasp her lover's hand. Beast Boy, however, wasn't as calm as the young woman standing next to him. Free hand clutching at his hair, he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, his face just as bright as Cyborg's and Robin's.

"Oh, well, if that was not the courtship ritual, then how to you get to such a point?"

"Star! Seriously, girl, that is so wrong on so many levels!"

The half man, half machine had finally turned around, still unable to meet either the goth or his favorite green dude in the eyes. Robin was torn between smiling at Cyborg's comments and defending the confused Starfire. Instead, he stepped back, increasing the distance between him and the redhead and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, now that we're all nice and uncomfortable, I suggest we all retire..."

"But Raven, I don't understand, it is still light outside. There is still much time for doing all sorts of things!"

Everyone but the Tamaranean groaned, blushes once again staining the faces of the three males. Raven dropped Beast Boy's hand, crossed from the living room to the kitchen, grabbed Starfire's and proceeded to drag her from the room. Left alone, Beast Boy began whistling, Robin busied himself with putting away the previously forgotten groceries, and Cyborg began examining the blown out t.v. Robin looked up as he set a bottle of mustard as far back in the refrigerator and sent a questioning smirk in the whistling changeling's direction.

"So, how long has that been going on?"

"Let's just say it's been going on long enough for me to get her clothes off in the living room. We really weren't expecting that, I mean, the things you can plan in...woah! Okay! Okay! Eh, I think that means Raven...um...yeah..."

Beast Boy scurried off down the corridor, leaving Robin and Cyborg alone. The lanky, dark haired boy ran his fingers through his hair. Methodically folding the grocery bags and setting them on the floor of the pantry, Robin jumped over the back of the couch and settled down in the cushions to watch his mechanical friend baby the t.v.

"Lucky she didn't blow out the console, huh Cy?"

"All I got to say is, damn boy, you've got to start working with Star. Have you two not...well...you know?"

"Woah, woah, woah! We're not even like that, we're just...friends."

Cyborg turned, jaw slack, real eye wide with shock. No matter how hopeless Robin was or how clueless Starfire could be, no one in the tower expected that the two were in a stalemate relationship-wise. Turning his head to face Robin, both arms still focused on the task at hand, Cyborg regained his composure long enough to fight back a grin.

"Well, maybe if you took time to explain 'Earth courtship rituals' to Star, we wouldn't be having such uncomfortable situations in the kitchen."

"I think I'll...go...now..."


	2. Chapter 2: Common Ground

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 2: Common Ground

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Starfire sat on the edge of her circular bed, her bright eyes staring blankly at purple walls. She felt like Raven had treated her like an infant, sitting the alien woman down and slowly explaining her relationship to the changeling. It wasn't that Starfire didn't know what sex was, that was commonplace enough on Tamaran, it was just that Earthlings had quite a round about way of getting to it. So, if Beast Boy and Raven weren't actually mating and they weren't performing a courtship ritual, then what exactly where they doing?

"Oh, X'Hal, why does everything on this little planet have to be so confusing?"

The redhead's shoulders slumped forward and she suddenly became interested in the hem of her skirt. A soft noise brought her out of her thoughts, causing Starfire to nearly jump out of her skin. Jumping up, fingers running through her hair before clasping behind her back, she cocked her head to the side and locked eyes with the intruder. Robin stood, leaned up against her doorframe, one arm behind his head. And while he looked poised, polished, and calm, the young man was anything but.

"Oh, Robin, what brings you to my room? I do believe Raven said it was time to retire. Should you not be in your own room?"

Robin paused, not knowing what to do with his body. He could step forward into Starfire's room, or he could take a step back, but either movement could be taken badly by the Tamaranean. So, instead, he just stood there, face becoming red and lips tripping over the words he'd rehearsed coming down the hall. The whole thing was becoming very difficult.

"Well...I...um..."

"Oh, are you going to be sick? Do you need to lie down? Can I retrieve a glass of water for you?"

"No, seriously Star, I'm fine. I thought we should have a talk, about...things."

He finally had the courage to walk over and reach for her hands, which were inconveniently clasped behind her back. Leading the rather confused, and flushed, Starfire to the edge of her bed, Robin sat down beside her and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, briefly imaging what Bruce Wayne would do in such a situation, he opened them and turned to the innocent in question.

"Starfire, what are 'courtship rituals' like on your planet?"

Green eyes blinked for a moment, pink lips turning down into a small frown, and the young woman strained to think for a while. She knew exactly what went on, having seen such rituals a thousand times before, but it had been so long that she was having a difficult time finding the words to explain things to Robin. Sighing loudly to break the long, uncomfortable silence, Starfire placed a hand on Robin's thigh and bit her bottom lip.

"Well, the male would usually approach the female's parents first and if they approved the match, the female would approach the male's parents. Then they'd been seen in public three times, the female would be presented with a wreath of flowers, and then couple would marry."

"Wha...wait...so there's no kissing or touching involved in this whole thing?"

"It is not required you be married to do such things. Tamaran is a place of love and of joy, only the courtship is formal. All Tamaran's play before finding their match."

The Boy Wonder's jaw was slack and it took him a minute to regain his composure. Surely Starefire, sweet, pure, innocent Starfire, hadn't 'played' with any Tamaraneans. Not that he had any right to feel possessive, but when it all came down to it, she was still his girl.

"But no one behaves like Raven and Beast Boy and that is why I am so confused. Raven's father is evil and Beast Boy's parents are dead, how could their parents approve the match?"

"Oh, Star, they're not getting married! Beast Boy and Raven were just messing around. I mean, sure, they're together, but they're simply acting like normal, healthy..."

Relief washed over Robin's body for seconds and then he felt like crawling into the hole he'd just created for himself. He couldn't help but notice that he was in Starfire's room, alone; on Starfire's bed, also alone; and clutching desperately to Starefire's hands, in an attempt to explain how such things worked on Earth. Suddenly the redheaded alien jumped up, her face bright with understanding.

"So you're saying that on Earth, two people who are not married can partake in marriage acts?"

"Yes, that's usually what boyfriends and girlfriends do..."

"Glorious!"

And as Starfire was jumping up and down, clapping her hands together, Robin felt like he'd stepped into another world. Bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, he was startled to find orange tinted legs straddling his lap and a rather ample chest pressed against his own. Quickly bringing his hands up, pressing on Starfire's shoulders to widen the gap between their lips, Robin attempted to stutter out something coherent as tears welled up in the pretty green eyes of the young woman positioned against him.

"But...I do not understand. Is there not a mutual attraction between us? Are we not a boy and a girl and are friends?"

Robin could feel her shift in an attempt to move off of him and in a quick moment of thinking one could only attribute to his former mentor, the still very shocked young man closed the gap between him and the alien princess by resting his forehead against hers. Hands moved from her shoulders to snake around her back, squeezing the whimpering Starfire against him.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend is a little different than just friends, Star. It's like...a pre-marriage situation. It isn't just about 'playing,' it's about really feeling something for another person and sharing your life with them. But yes, I like you...and more than as just a friend."

His eyes flicked down to gage her response and the masked young man was pleasantly surprised to find his body pinned between Starfire's bed and Starfire's body. Lifting his head up slightly, his eyes closed as their lips connected. Even as he felt her toned body lowering further down on his own to deepen the kiss, Robin was shocked out of his moment of tranquility to find Cyborg standing outside the door. As quickly and as gently as he could, Robin detangled himself from the rather absorbed alien and shot a death glare in his friend's direction.

"I knew it! Oh, you dog you, shacking up with Star and you haven't even had your first date."

Half expecting Starfire to send a starbolt in the direction of a rather obnoxious heap of metal, both young men were shocked when she simply turned and grasped Robin's hand. Pouting for a moment, the young woman rocked back on her heels and looked up at her new 'boyfriend' with a pair of puppy dog eyes that would have put the resident changeling to shame.

"Now that this courtship matter is understood can we partake in the same activity as Raven and Beast Boy? From the way the television exploded, I would think that Raven was enjoying herself very much."

"Uh, Starfire, let's take this one step at a time."

Cyborg took that as his cue to retreat from the doorway, a huge smile plastered on his face as the metal doors slid shut. Chuckling softly, one would almost be tempted to say that the cybernetic man was skipping down the hallway. Stretching his arms out and cracking his knuckles, he shot one more glance at the revamped t.v. screen before sinking down to enjoy a much deserved video game. Shaking his head as the start screen popped up, he sunk back into the previously deviled couch cushions and began mashing down buttons.

"Looks like I'll be doing grocery shopping on my own..."

---

Quick Note: Eck, sorry, I think this chapter ran a bit long...but I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Hope everything turned out okay. There will be a slight shift from all this romance to some actual plot gasps but in the end this is all about my two favorite pairings. Like it, love it, hate it? Feedback is much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3: Disoriented

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 3: Disoriented

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Raven had finally managed to open her eyes, a soft groan escaping from her lips as she desperately fought the urge to tuck herself neatly back under the covers. The dip in the bed where Beast Boy had been was still warm and she had no doubt in her mind that he was in the kitchen, in an unobserved competition with a certain Tamaranean princess, to see who could cook the worst. Pushing out dreamy thoughts from the night before, not wanting to short out any light bulbs, Raven hoisted herself out of bed. Reaching for a clean uniform, she quickly donned it and roughly ran a brush through her purple locks. Her relationship with everyone's favorite green teenager had caused her to change many of her habits, antagonizing over her appearance was not one of them.

All but levitating down the hall, a self-satisfied smirk still pasted on her lips, Raven forced herself to take a deep breath and took a quick moment to meditate. Once she was successfully calmed down and the light fixtures in the hall had stopped flickering, the half demon was able to enter the kitchen. Had her and her lover not been interrupted in the living room the day before, the others would still have no idea what was going on between the two. Perhaps, she mused, it was all for the best anyway.

The scene she was greeting with in the kitchen was all but new. Beast Boy was running around in the kitchen, frantically attempting to put the last finishing touches on his 'vegan breakfast.' Starfire was relatively calm, for her anyway, about the whole process. And although she was burning her fingers on the toast as it popped from the toaster and unsuccessfully making orange juice from concentrate, she seemed to be in full control of the kitchen, for once. Raising an eyebrow in Robin's direction to indicate that she realized his hovering beside the Tamaranean was much more phobic than usual, Raven's morning pattern was nothing out of the ordinary. Her greeting was her customary grunt and then she reached for the hot water and a bag of herbal tea.

Robin, on the other hand, seemed to be on the verge of mental breakdown and all noticed his erratic behavior, except of course for the one it was directed towards. Seemingly oblivious, as usual, Starfire hummed under her breath alternating between buttering the too hot toast, shaking out her fingers to relieve the burn, and getting 'her' Robin to explain the orange juice instructions. And while the redhead had made it apparent that she saw no good reason why they could just eat the 'glorious orange slush' straight from the can, she was doing her best to please the lanky, extremely attractive masked wonder that not only refused to leave her side but was attempting to put himself in between her and her toast and was, in fact, failing miserably. With Cyborg indulging himself with his morning cup of coffee and the sports section of the Jump City Times, everything about the morning routine fell into place.

That was, until of course, the morning tradition was broken by the sound of sirens and the sharp retort from the computer system that downtown was under attack, again. And while no one wanted to say it, the only coherent thought that crossed anyone's mind as Robin shouted the customary 'Titans Go!', was that Slade had somehow managed a glorious return. It was a thought that no one wished to utter, primarily because there wasn't enough time to knock on wood.

---

Orange tinted arms stretched out, hands with green energy, as narrowed eyes scanned the rubble that had once been the Jump City Shopping Center. The alien princess whimpered slightly, for the first time wishing that perhaps it had been a tremor of the earth, but knew the team was moments from proving that theory wrong. Robin was jumping across all the big pieces, a quick scan of the damage, hoping to prove the impossible. Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were attempting to move the majority of the pieces of steel and concrete out of the way, as to provide the Earthling emergency officers a chance to sift through the already barricaded site. But with no sign of any fissures in the ground, it soon became obvious this was no tremor, natural or otherwise. The warm feeling that had risen momentarily from the pit of Starfire's stomach at the idea of 'her' Robin playing hero, was soon dashed as her mechanically engineered friend presented the Titans' leader with the charred remains of what must have been the dais in the center of the mall. Closing her eyes and flying up higher, the redheaded alien hoped for a better look.

She wasn't, as was her nature, completely focusing because, all things considered, there wasn't something big and bad trying to pound away at her entrails. No, for the simple reason that she was Princess Koriand'r, the young heroine had other thoughts on her mind. The main one, simply stated, was the change in relationship between her and the 'Boy of Wonder.' There wasn't simple Tamaranean 'playing,' as she'd put it so mildly the night before, going on between the two; nor was it impulse, or, she shuddered at the thought, marriage. Apparently, on this strange blue planet, there was many more levels between 'playing,' courtship, and marriage. Had he simply wanted to take her, she would have been more than obliging, but it was more than that. Because Robin had bruised her lips with a fleeting kiss, restrained himself from maiming Cyborg, hugged her gently and then left her room, both quite unfulfilled. It was obvious that he had wanted her and she wanted him, and Starefire had been perplexed by the situation. Enough so, that if Robin's, strangely sharp sounding, voice hadn't cut through her thoughts, she would have surely flown straight into one of the many half destroyed buildings.

"Star! Watch it! We've got enough casualties here without worrying about one of our own."

"Many apologies, friend Robin, I will quickly apply myself to the task at hand."

---

Not that it did any good, Beast Boy thought, as he proceeded to mash down seemingly random keys in the proper order that would soon have him crowned king of all of Immortal Con II. With a wide mouth yawn he shook his head, completely unnerved by the recent turn of events. He'd simply wanted to take Raven on the very same couch Cyborg was bouncing on beside him; he hadn't expected it to render a lover's spat and a destroyed shopping center. The last two thoughts were vaguely his, most likely fashioned in one way or another by Raven's empathic powers. Of course, it would be just like the impassive goth to believe their bout of lovemaking resulted in so much destruction. But that would have been too simple. Granted it was destructive, messy, and had managed to rack up an impossibly high body count, but it wasn't like a t.v. blowout. The fact that the concrete remains had charred body outlines was proof enough as it was.

"Someone did that on purpose, and I'm not quite sure I like that purpose."

Cyborg was the first to speak, the first to address the issue inside of the tower. That would, of course, had been Robin's job, had the masked teen not been in the process of examining their own resident 'Miss Oblivion' for any damage. And as much as it had become part of normal after-battle routine, the boisterous young man believed that it had only become more sickeningly sweet with the discovery of Starfire's legs wrapped around Robin's body and the Boy Wonder all but pinned to her purple bed.

"But Robin I am, how to you say, a-oh-kay? I will not allow my mind to wander again."

"And what if there had been a battle, then what? You could have been seriously..."

"Oh freaking yeah! Kiss my ass, Bird Boy, I just beat your score on IC II! See that, do you see that? It says, in no uncertain terms, first place: Beast Boy, second place: Robin. So you can kiss my hairy green a..."

"Garfield Logan, I swear to Azarath, if you ever do that again I will give you nightmares for a week. And you, Dick Grayson, if you don't stop fawning over Starfire, I'm going to break your arm."

Her voice was low, her tone was level, but Raven was all but collected. This evidence was obtained by the fact that the t.v. screen blew out for the second time in less than twenty four hours. Which, she ascertained, to be a record. All activity in the room halted even though, the empath was sure that, Robin still wanted to check Starefire one more time for bruising, Cyborg wanted to scream about all his wasted work, and Beast Boy was just about to whimper about his game. Fortunately, the powers on high kept all of them silent in the time it took her bare legs to swing over the edge of the couch.

"Now, Cy's entirely right in the assumption that this was done for a reason. Villains, even Slade, do not blow up malls for simple jollies. The question then is why."

"My thoughts exactly and the sooner we can figure that out, the sooner we get this asshole behind bars. With that said, I do believe I'll see if there's anything to research. Damn it, they've never gone after innocents before...at least not like this."

It was no surprise that Robin left the living room in a flurry of movement, or that Starfire scampered after him with wide, worried eyes. Raven gracefully rose from her position on the couch, making her way up to the roof to begin some much needed meditation, rolling her eyes in the direction of the changeling and his metallic friend. Of course, it was also no surprise that Beast Boy continued to mash buttons, his eyes staring blankly at the gutted screen; while Cyborg busied himself with repairs.

"Ya know, BB, it's going to be lunchtime soon and no one's gonna get up and fix anything; might as well call in pizza."

"Dude, that is so not cool. Do you understand that I beat Bird Boy's score...I was king of IC II...and she...she...just...blew it up. She blew it up!!! And I sleep with her! She blew it up and I...I...I beat his score..."

"First off, that's too much info, keep that shit on the down low. Second, I'm calling in pizza."

The changeling whimpered and collapsed into a green, lifeless ball, controller still clutched in his white gloved hands. Quickly sweeping up the shards of shattered t.v. screen, Cyborg surveyed his handy work, hoping it could withstand at least two outbursts before shattering again, and, ignoring the puddle of green fur, walked out of the living room to find the nearest phone.

---

Quick Note: Well? That a little better, plot-wise anyway? I do realize that the first two chapters were mostly romantic fluff (although I like to consider them sub-plot) but I am attempting to move the story forward. So, we've got some plot going...(dun dun dun)...who, what, where, and why? I do believe it's time to get this party started, you?


	4. Chapter 4: Slightly Off Track

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 4: Slightly Off Track

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A purple tinged red tongue was tracing patterns on white flesh, four pairs of eyes shut, and a pair of small hands clenching and twisting the dark sheets. Dark emerald eyes opened as Gar's head tilted up, trying to gage Raven's reaction. He choked back a sigh, not wanting to display his disappointment, and leaned over her body, elbows resting on either side of her prone form. She was back under control and it almost killed him.

He didn't care that she'd blown up the television, twice, that she was causing electrical shortages in the tower, or that her powers had been more volatile than usual. What bothered the changeling was Raven's distance – the price they paid for her to be under control. It meant that her eyes didn't roll back into her head as they met each other, that her body only slightly trembled, and that instead of screaming she kept whispering those three damned words. And Gar hated it. What good was it to know that he was doing everything to make her scream, that she should be screaming, but Raven was forcing herself not to scream. She was meditating again, only half lucid in bed because she'd shorted out a few things in the past couple of days.

The green hued teen knew they shouldn't be doing it anyway, that there was work to do, that Cyborg was pouring himself over the computer and Robin had locked himself up in his room – both working. And instead of doing something productive, he had his hands tangled up in her hair. But Raven's face was a blank slate, her cheeks weren't even flushed, and there was nothing he could do about it. She'd sunk back into herself again, for the all sorts of selfless reasons and all he could think of as he was lowering himself down beside her was that he wished she'd just be selfish just for once. To hell with the consequences; how bad could it really be if she was emotional for a moment?

"You know you really don't mean that."

Raven's voice was soft and level, her hand reaching up to brush away a lock of green hair that had fallen into the changeling's eyes. He tried to meet her eyes, but she looked away, knowing that it would only result in her coming undone again.

"Just once..."

"We tried just once, Gar, I blew up the television, twice, and shorted out the electricity. I have to keep myself in check...it's not going to do us any good, especially now. I feel you, all of you, even if you can't see it."

He kissed her softly on the temple, masking his frustration, and threw his leg over the side of the bed. Struggling into the spandex of his uniform and fighting with his gloves, Beast Boy forced a smile as he tossed a glance over his shoulder before stalking out of the room.

"I think I'm going to see if Cyborg needs any help."

---

Starfire was lying on her back, head lolled off the side of the bed, bright green eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. Robin had stopped talking to her hours ago and, considering he hadn't bothered to turn on the overhead lights once the sun set, had most likely forgot that she was in the same room. The redhead's long legs crossed and uncrossed, her dainty fingers tracing patterns on the plain bedspread. Sighing loudly, she tried to lift herself up but gave up quickly.

"He has passed into the realm of the dead and staring at his picture will not make him the responsible one."

She rose successfully this time, pulling down on her skirt to keep it from riding up, and crossed the room quickly. Upon reaching her target Starfire wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands tracing down the thin material that covered his chest. Robin shivered under her light touch, his eyes never wavering from the pictures in front of him.

"It has to be him. There's nobody else...Star..."

A small smile curved up the corners of her mouth as her hands worked farther down, toying with the clasp of his utility belt before casting it on the floor beside them. The Boy Wonder was bracing himself on the table in front of him, a half contained groan escaping from his throat. The alien princess knew he was trying to resist her, trying to keep focused on the only possible connection that made any sense. Only, it didn't make any sense. Slade was dead; Terra had buried him under an avalanche of molten lava and rock. Starfire was simply taking his mind off of things.

"He is gone. He cannot hurt us anymore, Robin. We will figure out who did this, trust me..."

Smooth hands slipped under the waistband of his tights and were just beginning to trace a pattern down when the lithe form of the warrior beneath her twisted, sending a rather surprised Tamaranean into the wall. Muscular arms were braced on either side of Star's head, masked eyes closed as his lips crashed into hers. A gloved hand ran down her flushed cheeks, flattening when it reached her collarbone, dropping down further to squeeze one of her breasts. She was shuddering beneath him as his hands smoothed down her sides, arms meeting around her waist.

Coming up for a breath, Starfire grinned mischievously, her body pushing up against his to propel him backwards. She slipped her boot behind his Achilles' tendon, tripping Robin up even as he braced to hit the bed. Moving both knees on either side of his hips, eyes sparking wildly, the usually naïve princess began working the fasteners that held her purple top together. Looking down, confused, as Robin's hands reached up to grasp hers, she cocked her head to the side.

"Have I done something wrong? I am I not...um...turning you on?"

"No, it's just that maybe we should worry about Titan's business first. Besides, it awfully fast to go from..."

A curtain of red hair draped down as Starfire captured the protesting boy's lips with her own. Working her tongue across his bottom lip, she sighed loudly as he pushed up with his body to sit upright. Resting a hand on either side of her face, Robin rested his forehead against her own.

"I know what you're trying to do, and believe me, Star, it's working. But...we need to work, there's a killer still out there, even if it isn't Slade."

"Why can you no just let me please you? I know where to touch, where to kiss...I know what you want me to do to you."

Robin simply gave up, allowing the leggy young woman to push him back down, her hands working down his body. She was all smiles as she began tugging up at his uniform, trying to work him out of the skintight material. Just as Starfire was beginning to peel it up his torso, artificial light flooded the room as the metal door slid open.

"Oh God...I just thought..."

The Boy Wonder was bright red and his companion was livid. Sliding off her flushed lover, a low growl working it way out of the back of her throat, Starfire closed her eyes and began counting down softly in her native language. Having reached 'ten,' she pushed past a wide eyed Beast Boy and down the hall.

"Cy found something and we thought you'd like to know. Even now, I guess?"

"You know you're dead, right? That I'm going to kill you as soon as we get this figured out."

"Man..."

---

There was a long silence, as Raven sided up to the already gathered team members. She viewed the scene with silence; Cyborg was bent over the Titan's mainframe, Beast Boy was at his side – avoiding both Starfire and Robin, the aforementioned princess was resting one hand on Robin's shoulder and the other on the back of Cyborg's chair, and Robin was sullenly glowering. The half demon would have laughed out loud if she didn't think it would cause the computer monitor to explode.

"So? All I see is a grainy image of the mall, what are we looking for exactly?"

No one's head snapped up to meet Raven's challenging gaze, they were all seemingly transfixed on the blurry image in front of them. Everyone but the empath had seen it several times; all but her were holding baited breaths. Then there was a flash of brilliant light, concrete collapsing in on itself, bystanders disintegrated in mere seconds. A lithe figure darted across the screen, her body nearly bursting in a form fitting outfit, dark hair covering her face. As energy began engulfing her body, the woman turned and, brushing smooth hair out of her face, winked at the camera.

"What in the name of Azarath?"

"Komand'r..."

"Kalamander?! Star, who the hell are you talking about? That's your sister, that's Blackfire!"

Four head jerked in Beast Boy's direction, four mouths gaping with a mixture of disgust and surprise. Cyborg slapped his hand on his thigh and burst out laughing, Robin rolled his eyes and resumed sulking, Starfire's face was wiped clean of every emotion except confusion, and Raven took a deep breath before shaking her head.

"Komand'r is Blackfire's proper name, idiot..."

"Yeah, I knew that. But, why is she going around blowing up the mall?"

"Finally, a half decent response; I believe that is the million dollar question."

---

Quick Note: Eh, I know, more romantic subplot, but come on – I couldn't help myself. At least I updated, right? Anyway, I promise there will be more action and if you think you've got this figured out, you've got another thing coming to you. More updates soon, my muse is speaking to me again.


	5. Chapter 5: Off the Wall

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 5: Off the Wall

---

Robin's forehead was resting against the cool metal door leading into the training room, his masked eyes squeezed shut. He'd given up trying to pound the door open with his fists, after giving up a similar action of beating it open with his head. Rolling his shoulders and groaning, he kicked the door once with the toe of his boot.

"Star…please, open the door."

She'd been locked in there for hours and he was beginning to worry. True to form, thefiery Tamaranean had blown up all the camerasin a bid for privacy and had asked everyone to give her 'room for breathing.' The image of her sister blowing up the mall firmly ingrained in his brain, he half heartedly kicked the door again and then decided to give into her plea.

Stomping down the hall, in a decidedly bad mood, he stopped up beside Cyborg who had continued to work with the video footage. To his friend's credit, the video was no longer grainy and Blackfire's face shone through clearly. Glaring at the smirking image, he sighed when Cyborg turned to face him.

"Don't know what to tell you man. I've been trying everything I can think of, but, there's nothing to say that this is an imposter. Besides, you'd think her own sister could spot a fake. She'd be pissed off…sure, but, to blow up a mall."

"In Jump City; the bitch is tormenting Star."

"Speaking of which, I think she's managed to escape to the roof."

He turned, threw a grateful look to Raven, and hurried towards the top of the tower. Robin swore that, even if it had been Slade, he still would have dropped everything to see if Starfire was all right. It was a thought that scared him, but, he continued none the less.

Reaching her, he snaked his arms around her waist and blew against her ear. She'd tried to lighten his mood once before, he might as well attempt to return the favor. The woman against him shivered slightly before her hands reached up to tangle in his short hair.

"I believe our friend Cyborg will need to repair the wall…along with several pieces of equipment."

"S'okay, Star, he'll like having something to do."

"I've given her so many chances, Robin, but she…she did this."

Both figures were silent for a moment, the breeze blowing past bringing up the smell of ash and burning building. Not knowing what to do, the Boy Wonder rested his chin on his companion's shoulder and placed his lips against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She arched up against him and whimpered, moving to face him.

"Hey now, Blackfire couldn't have gotten too far from here. We'll find…"

"I do not wish to spoil this moment with talk of my sister…"

Green eyes flashed as she pounced, her lips curving into a delicate smirk. Knocking Robin to the ground, rolling to shield his body from the impact, it was all she could do to keep from laughing as he gaped at her. Now straddling the vibrant woman beneath him, Robin traced a gloved hand against her cheek and shook his head.

"I promise we'll find her and you can pound her sorry ass into the ground."

His lips descended on hers, silencing any protests, as his hands wandered between their bodies. Every kiss with Star was different, a surprise, but it only made it more delightful. They fit together so well, her legs wrapped around his waist, that he forgot that there was Titan business to attend to.

"Can't take you on the roof, Star."

"Can we just kiss for a little while longer?"

She just looked so innocent, swollen lips parted slightly, that it was all he could do but nod his ascent. The young woman beneath him had seen so much, had suffered greatly at the hands of her older sister. Blackfire was going to pay, but, Robin decided he'd see to Star first. It was the least he could do.

---

"They're not…you know…going to have…well…on the roof?"

Beast Boy's eyes were wide, even as Raven reached over to blank out the feed from the security camera on the roof. Masking a frown, even though it didn't keep him from getting smacked, Gar propped himself up on the couch. Opening his mouth to protest the current goings on above their heads, mostly because he was being denied such activities, he ducked a flying book and shut it quickly.

"I doubt Robin would be so careless, it's entirely out of character. Anyway, Cyborg, can we get anything else out of that damn video?"

Raven's voice was even, if not a little cold, and she made a move to stand beside her mechanical friend. The green teenager's eyes were boring into the back of her head, but she was dutifully ignoring them.

"I've crossed this with every other image we have of the crazy bitch. It's her, all right, and if it's not…I'll eat my own leg."

"What I don't understand is why she blew up a mall. I mean, seriously, why not go directly for the Tower?"

Two pairs of eyes whipped around to stare at Beast Boy, his second insightful comment in a day. The pale young woman frowned and then shrugged before striding over to join him on his perch.

"I think that she wanted to hurt as many people as possible. Starfire and her sister don't exactly have a healthy relationship…I think this is less of a Titan's matter than a family matter."

"But, we're going to stand by her, right?"

"Man, we're going to kickBlackfire's sorry purple ass into the groundfor even thinking about setting foot in our city."

Raven snorted and her partner nodded in agreement, even as Cyborg turned back to the computer. Wrapping his arm around her waist, Beast Boy yawned and pulled her closer. Until they got another hit there was nothing that they could do. Smiling to himself when she laid her head on his shoulder, Gar hoped that it all be over shortly. Even Slade hadn't gone after innocent victims like this.

"Don't worry, Gar, we'll get it sorted out…we always do."

"Yeah, just feels different this time, that's all."

---

Quick Note: Oh my gods…chapter five! I'm so, so, so sorry that this took almost a year…over a year? It probably isn't any good, either, and I hope you forgive me. I've finally started to get inspiration but I needed to get this little piece out of the way before I could get started up again. I'm hoping to get more chapters up before school starts, so, I'll be taking my computer to Texas with me during vacation. Never fear, I hope to have this done before 2006 (wish me luck). I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed and pestered and generally forced me to get back to work. You guys totally rock! I wouldn't keep going without you.


	6. Chapter 6: Wear and Tear

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 6: Wear and Tear

---

It seemed as if the criminals that inhabited Jump City were taking the night off. The streets were still and quiet; shops closed for the night and barred shut. Even in all the silent calm, the soft wind was still enough to mask the sound of wings against the night sky. An eagle might have been an odd sight for any city, but the green one flying overhead the tall buildings was a welcome sight.

Since the attack on the mall, the Titans hadn't had a decent night's sleep. They'd taken to shifts, alternating patrols throughout the day and night, and the normal sleep patterns had been disrupted. Which Gar wouldn't have minded too much if he were still getting his daily allotment of sex, of course, that was not to be the case.

Robin, for all his love struck infatuation, or, maybe because of it, had purposefully separated all the couples. Not that it had mattered before, but Raven had mumbled something about not taking any chances. And so the Boy Wonder was off with Gar's lovely half demon of a girlfriend and the changeling was stuck with Starfire. Sweeping down to get a closer look at a strange shadow, Gar decided it worked well that way. In the heat of battle they were protecting each other as colleagues, nothing more, and their personalities meshed well. Gar had a tendency to wear on Robin's nerves in more serious times and Star was known to annoy Raven with her endless chatter.

The fact that he'd analyzed the situation so well scared him shitless. It also meant that he was in desperate need of some pizza and a long nap. Maybe even a round of video games or a campy horror flick.

Catching sight of his partner up ahead, the green glow of her hands faintly illuminating her outline, the green eagle slowed and landed beside her atop a stone gargoyle. Changing back, his teeth flashing through a tired smile, he shrugged and nodded towards the Tower.

"Did you not see anything of suspicion, friend?"

"No, a trash can was casting a strange shadow and I could have sworn I saw Jinx but…"

"It was nothing?"

"Yeah."

Even with Cyborg stationed at the Tower, taking small naps in between monitoring the city and their patrols, they hadn't turned anything up of importance. No attempted muggings, kidnappings, bank robberies, or plans for world domination. Perhaps the criminals knew that the Teen Titan's had upped their patrols and were dead set on revenge. Or perhaps something else had got them scared. He didn't want to think about it. All he wanted to think about was Raven's soft skin and her warm bed. If Robin didn't call of this insane schedule soon, the green teen was going to have to do something; something much more drastic than beating all of Bird Boy's top scores.

Giving him a one armed squeeze, the alien princess nodded solemnly before taking up into the air. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Gar could only smile before he transformed.

"If your eyes are to be believed, I must agree with you, friend. This has not been, how do you say, a park walk?"

Hell, Star and Bat's boy weren't even having sex yet. A "park walk" indeed.

---

It had been three days since he'd kissed her on the roof. Two and a half days since he'd given her a quick kiss in the hallway. A day since he'd grasped her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before she headed off to patrol. And twelve hours since they'd said two words to each other. Starfire, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, Kory Anders per her alias on Earth, wanted to knock her Earth boy of just as many names against the nearest wall and have her way with him.

Whatever that meant, although Raven had promised it would be most enjoyable.

At least it would quiet for a couple of hours. Both Robin and Raven had left just moments before she and Beast Boy had arrived back at the Tower and Cyborg, having finished his nap and lunch, was dutifully hunched over the command center. Even though she was hungry, not even mustard could tempt Star from straying off her path. A long hot shower, grab one of Robin's white "tee shirts," and then sink onto his bed. She hadn't touched him in twenty four hours and some odd minutes but she could at least go to sleep smelling him.

Jump City had been as silent as a world after the Citadel had finished laying waste to it. It was beginning to wear on the young woman. The lack of activity had caused her to lift a shop keeper off the ground, sure he was robbing the place, and almost made her blow up a light post that had been "looking at her in the wrong way." At least Beast Boy was keeping her in an upbeat mood. As much as she missed Robin, he was right in how'd he paired them up. Were she paired with her Boy of Wonder, Koriand'r was sure she would have interrupted patrol to force him into the nearest alley. If she'd been with Raven, they'd probably be silently feuding. Yet thinking of how wonderful her boy was only made her want him more.

Shutting her eyes tightly, the young woman nuzzled into the firm mattress and wrapped the dark sheets tightly around her lithe frame. Even though her mind was bombarded by images of her younger self and Tamaran, of the Warlords and her training, and of the Psions she fell to sleep surprisingly quickly. The image of Komand'r was etched firmly in the darkness behind her eyes and she fought to dispel it from her dreams.

"X'Hal…it can't be…"

---

"No, no, you're not going to get me in trouble. We'll say it's business, all right? On that note, you got anything for me?"

Vic Stone, the Teen Titan known as Cyborg, was curiously, unusually, relaxed. His cybernetic legs were crossed and propped up on an empty space on the command center and his swivel chair, the plump cushions there more for appearance than comfort, was leaned as far back as it could comfortably go. Chuckling into the mouthpiece of the phone, eyes keenly aware of the screen in front of him, Vic threw a quick glance over his shoulder.

"No, BB and Star just got back in from patrol. They're out like lights…I was even surprised. Usually they go for the kitchen first, it's been a rough week. Robin's even showing some fatigue and he's usually the last to let up."

He hadn't been out of the Tower for the last couple of days, a rarity, but it had been a needed sacrifice. It was blatantly obvious that he couldn't go on patrol by himself and it made no sense for him to tag along. Beast Boy and Star could both fly, Robin had his gadgets, and Raven could levitate. His lack of "upward mobility" made him cumbersome when not with the whole group. Considering the patrols were now all about stealth and trying to get a one up, the T-car would have just gotten in the way. They'd needed someone back at the Tower anyway who could relay calls if need be and research. Because their fearless leader had been too tired to do much above and beyond, the duty had fallen in his lap.

"Boring me? Sarah, you've got to be joking. This is the most interesting thing I've done lately. Seriously though, has S.T.A.R. matched up those samples yet?"

Robin had been adamantly against going to the League for help, even if it would have been their smartest bet. They had, even though he was loathe to admit, better computers and better technology. The police had found samples of hair while combing through the destruction and decided it was unlikely it belonged to any of the victims. Vic's first reaction had been to go to the League with what they had and have them cross reference it. Having allowed Robin to have his way, he'd gone to the next best place: Dr. Sarah Charles and S.T.A.R. labs. It seemed futile, what with all the video footage, but it was something they'd unanimously agreed on.

"Break's over? Girl, you're killing me. Fine, fine, and when you get those results, send them over…better yet, call. Yeah, yeah, I'll go stretch in a bit…uh huh, later."

Straightening up in his chair, Vic groaned and tore his attention away from the placid activity on the screen. Beast Boy was rummaging around in the kitchen, his body half way in the refrigerator, and he grinned at the sight. Apparently Raven and her green boy toy had been going at it like rabbits, because the obvious lack of sex was showing on both of them. Robin might be generally stoic, but he and Star looked just as bad, and Cyborg was surprised she hadn't jumped him all ready. Hearing a noise, his head whipping around to look down the hall, Vic made a noise again and it wasn't from stretching.

Star was standing in the hall clad in what looked to be one of Robin's white t-shirts that he occasionally wore for light training. With her long legs and knock out body, it looked as though it barely covered her. Vic was sure BB was drooling by now and knew that if he didn't put his eyes back in his head, Robin would kill him. Slowly and painfully. Just before he could open his mouth and remind the alien princess what appropriate attire meant, she was rushing towards the view screen demanding to see the mall footage again.

"Mmph…clothes…gck…hot…why'dyawanttoseethat?"

"BB, chill, remember Raven…of Azarath…your girlfriend? Here, girl, sit down and I'll pull it up."

Ignoring the fact that a very attractive, very squirmy, very scantily clad young woman was sitting to his left and that Gar was attempting to stuff his mouth full of food while pretending not to be affected by the sight, Cyborg quickly pulled up the demanded video and settled back as Starfire watched it with extra scrutiny. Startled when she stabbed her finger at the image of her sister, worried that she'd break the screen with her superhuman strength, Vic quickly backtracked and paused.

"See?"

"See what, Star?"

"Mmph?"

"That…that right there."

The boys exchanged glances and the changeling finally managed to swallow whatever vile concoction he had been chewing on.

"All I see is that stupid bitch blowing up the mall, Star."

"No, no, no…right there. See her leg? Komand'r was unable to fly when she was born…some deformity…it was never explained. The Psions captured us…and they ran their tests…something happened. It was what gave us our starbolts, I think. Anyway, shortly after that, she could suddenly fly."

Her green eyes were wide and her mouth was turned into a deep frown by their blank expressions. Sighing loudly, the Tamaranean rolled her eyes and tried to elaborate.

"One of the machines gave us identical scars. My scar is on the back of my neck and her scar is on the back of her leg. Usually one cannot see it but…here…"

And it was suddenly frighteningly apparent to everyone in the room what Starfire was pointing at. With all the digital enhancements, the picture was crystal clear and Blackfire's leg simply showed unblemished, creamy skin.

"But…why?"

"I had quite an unsettling dream and when I woke up I remembered our last fight. She made a very low class gesture and I saw her scar. Then I remembered what was missing from the video."

"No, not that why…that's a good why, though; but…why would they…?"

Vic shook his head, refusing to listen. It couldn't be anyone but Blackfire. All images they'd cross referenced, every scan they'd done, everything pointed to the wayward Tamaranean. His technology might not have been the most sophisticated, but it always came through. The phone rang and he grinned triumphantly; Sarah was going to prove his mistaken red haired friend wrong. Image software might smooth and refine, might have taken out the scar if it had perceived it as noise. DNA didn't lie, S.T.A.R. lab's techs didn't lie.

The soft voice on the other end of the line was soon forgotten as a red flash lit up the vid screen. It continued to pulse, soon the alarm began reverberating through the entire tower. Mumbling a quick goodbye and slamming the phone back in its cradle, Cyborg didn't even have to tell the other two to move it. Robin's face popped up even as he was heading for the door, answering over his shoulder even though he couldn't hear the boy's voice over the alarm.

"It's not…her…"

"I know, man…I know."

---

(Not So) Quick Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it just sort of came to me – I really wasn't expecting it to turn out this way. I wasn't planning on writing for BB and Star, but, they wouldn't leave me alone. I have been neglecting Cyborg though and he seemed like the perfect voice to end it with. Dr. Sarah is from the comic and I figured since S.T.A.R. has got its hands in everything, they were a nice fit. The plot thickens…dun dun dun. Though, I promise you it's not Slade. Eck. Just keep in mind I started writing this before the whole "baby momma drama" that was Raven being the gateway and Slade being brought back to life, etc. So, I suppose, in that way it'll be a little AU. For our purposes Slade and Terra are dead and gone…and are staying that way. Comment lots and tell me how you think it's going so far – you know the drill. I might try to whip up another chapter later today, but, who knows?


	7. Chapter 7: Stupid Indeed

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 7: Stupid Indeed

---

"So, how're you holding up?"

"I've made some stupid decisions, but, I think this one takes the cake."

The two figures exchanged grins, their faces quickly reverting back to solemn expressions. Robin was perched on top of one of Jump City's premier executive buildings and Raven had situated herself on a ledge a foot or so below. Unlike the Tamaranean and the changeling, they preferred to sink into the shadows. Running his fingers through his hair, the Boy Wonder looked down at his utility belt once more and frowned.

"It's just so…"

"…quiet. I know, even on the slowest nights…"

"…we've found something to do."

It was quiet again, a heavy silence that would have seemed stifling to an outsider. However, it was quite comfortable between the two teens. Had Robin been paired with Beast Boy they would have worn on each other quickly; had it been Starfire he would have been testing his patience instead of watching the city. However good together they were on a professional or friendship level; the two would have been doomed romantically. BB kept Raven from being too gloomy and Star had a way of saving him from himself.

He shifted positions silently, having learned long ago how to regain circulation while not giving away his position. A cloud passed over and Raven's powers cast a dark sheen around them, making an even match with the shadows. Looking up from masked eyes, the young man squinted and shrugged. It was all too surreal.

The city was entirely too empty, as if all the criminals had cleared out. No sight of Hive or any of the usual villains. To make it worse there had been none of the 'normal' crime that kept the Titan's on their toes between the villains with super powers. He'd never thought that he'd long for a burglary or a mass prison escape, but he did. A calm Jump City was unsettling.

"So, I'm not one to pry, but, you and Star…"

"It's complicated…"

"Not so complicated on the roof the other day. For a moment we thought you two were just going to…"

"She needed me."

That simple statement brought an understanding nod and another bought of silence. Robin was contemplating moving positions when a low rumble rose up from the still city. Cocking his head to the side, wondering for a moment if it was just wishful thinking, the sound went up again and both Titan's sprung to their feet. A flash of light blinded the two for a moment, rising up from the dark and the streetlights, and the low rumble became louder. The echo reverberated, gaining strength, and Robin paced restlessly. There was no target, nothing to pin point, and so all they could do was stay put.

---

As much as she appreciated Robin's silence, Raven longed to hear one of Gar's idiotic jokes. Or perhaps feel his hot breath against her neck as he whispered something soft and sweet into her skin. It had always been so easy to read him and so she'd made it her mission to avoid him once their opposing patrols had started. She had known, some funny voice chuckling in the pit of her stomach, that were she to see him now, it would be all over for her. There was a fine line between control and madness, she was toeing that line.

The goth hero felt like she was so very close to breaking. Had she'd known she'd come to like sex so much, she would have probably never started. Stifling a chuckle, Raven quickly realized that was only lying to herself.

Their attempts at conversation would have startled the other members of the team, but, even the most solemn two needed to speak once in a while. She was quiet by nature and he had picked up his brooding habits from his mentor; yet the hours ahead ticked by too slowly even for them. With no bad guys to fend off and no civilians to save, her main goal had been to keep Robin from cracking. But, after causing a street vendor to pee himself and gruffly reminding a couple of preteen girls of their curfew, he'd been extremely subdued. Stupid idea indeed.

Her musings were broken by a low vibration and Raven thought for a moment that her stomach was growling. By the look on Robin's face it was obvious he was thinking along the same lines. Even as the sound grew and a blinding flash rose up from the city, the young woman stood her ground, pushing her cowl back away from her face. Placing a small hand on her counterpart's arm, she shook her head and made a small noise.

"Call Cyborg, I don't think we can handle this on our own."

Of course he broke away and moved forward anyway, his muscles taut and strained. Laughter echoed from the noisy din, mocking and cold. It was a sound that couldn't soon be forgotten. Long, dark hair was tossing all over the place, even without the aid of the wind, and a lean, busty body was squeezed into purple stretch.

"Blackfire…"

Dark energy swirled around the half demon, her cropped hair flying up from her neck. Glaring at the twittering idiot, the empath wondered how she'd ever been fooled by her little act. Searching out with her mind, Raven made a small noise and was surprised to find herself in Robin's arms moments later.

"I can't…I'm all blocked…but, I saw…"

A starbolt was unleashed and shattered the stone they were standing on. Jumping back until they were standing on stable ground, Raven wrest herself out of Robin's arms and lifted her cowl back over her face. Grounding her heel into the settled tar of the rooftop, hands clutched in tight fists at her sides, the young woman was once again engulfed in black and soft mumblings escaped her drawn lips.

"Call Cyborg, now! Something's not right…this doesn't feel right."

A light shot out from her chest, purple eyes narrowed into slits. It struck the laughing figure squarely in the stomach and sent her flying into the nearest building. Still the laughing continued and even over Cyborg's voice she continued chanting. Over and over, the light bursting out and striking the enemy; and still there was laughter. Raven felt a solid form at her side, caught the sight of red and green and black gloves pulling her from her crumpled position on the rooftop and she pushed herself away.

The smoke cleared and a figure emerged from the rubble. Before anyone could take a good look, a flash of green swept by and continued through the other side of the high rise. Faint shouts could be heard, most likely cursing in the princess's native language, and it was all flashes of green light and red hair. Beast Boy was by her side, taking Robin's place, and Cyborg was several paces ahead, trading harsh words with their leader.

"I thought I told you we didn't need any help!"

"The League, man, the League…this was just the lab! Anyway, Sarah promised that she'd keep it under wraps."

"And Superman has a history with S.T.A.R. and Batman is never far behind and I don't need him telling me how to run my own team!"

"If you two don't shut up and pay attention, I swear to Azarath…"

A mangled mess of purple rested in the middle of cracked pavement and the red haired alien, clad only in her boots and Robin's, now quite ragged, white shirt, was hovering in the air and panting hard. Looking over at her teammates, she smiled sheepishly and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

"That is most assuredly not my sister."

Raven rolled her eyes as the Tamaranean joined the rest of the group, almost laughing at the Boy Wonder's attempts to get his cape around her shoulders. Judging by the state of her undress, it was obvious that she'd rushed out at the first sound of alarm; Cyborg had probably thrown her boots at her.

"Komand'r was never so soft. That, that…thing did not even know the seven unspeakable words. I can still feel my hands."

"We just got word back from S.T.A.R. labs; they tested that hair from the mall. It shares some basic components with Blackfire's DNA, but there are several distinct differences. It's as if someone tried to mask the code."

"Shape shifting…?"

"Or something like that. Sarah couldn't explain it, but it's some really freaky shit."

"But, it is a-oh-kay, is it not? I did make a mess of my sister's weak twin…"

Ten pairs of eyes settled on the pavement, identical looks of shock and anger setting firmly on their faces. Raven took a deep breath, forcing a wave of calm through her body, and chewed at her bottom lip. The body was gone; all that was left was a crater where it had lain. No blood, no tissue…nothing. Pulling Beast Boy flush against her chest, the empath shook her head and shot a look towards the other gaping members.

"Whoever that was…whatever that was, we didn't get it. And if Starfire's barrage didn't kill it, then we're not prepared to take it on. I say a shower and a nap is in order, once we clear our heads…"

Everyone nodded silently and took to the air. Starfire with her arms around Robin's torso, the poor boy blushing at being pressed firmly against a flimsy barrier of thin white cotton; Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl and his talons gripping onto Cyborg's metal shoulders. With one last look over her shoulder, Raven followed suite and headed towards the Tower. Patrol had been cut short, but they all deserved a rest. If her control was legendary and she was on edge, there was no telling how the others were fairing.

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Gar had been right, for once, it felt quite different this time.

---

Quick Note: I don't really like this chapter very much, but, it seemed to flow pretty well. A nice juxtaposition with Gar and Kory's patrol vs. Dick and Raven's patrol; which, unlike the rest of the chapter, felt right to me. Mostly Raven's POV, I couldn't stop myself…she just wouldn't shut up. There might be one more chapter left in me tonight…but nothing too serious. We all know by now that I'm a sucker for fluff. Hope you're enjoying yourself.


	8. Chapter 8: Intermediate

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 8: Intermediate

---

The place it had found itself was dark and dank, but was mostly dry and provided a safe haven. The creature hadn't known of the dark one's strength nor had it expected the hated non-sister to be so strong. Its intermolecular bonds had held, however, and it had been able to make an escape when all eyes had been focused on the non-sister. Unable to understand the word 'whore,' it was still all it could think of.

It had been foolish, making some small mistake, and Spaces Forces had been able to capture it. But even such an advanced station showed signs of wear and aging that could be exploited. The creature learned long ago that it could escape through any fissure. While it had not planned on landing on the dark Tamaranean, it had relished in its good luck and stolen a lock of hair on its way out. All its memory cells had been erased after capture and it had not known how it was going escape off of the tiny moon. But, with the power of flight interlaced in the black hair, the creature was able to modify its plan.

What it had not expected was to be bombarded with such strong feelings. The dark one had felt such intense hatred towards the non-sister and, flying through space, all the creature could think of was "Starfire," "Jump City," and "punish." There were many stops to find the planet Earth and many times the creature could have returned to its natural state and disappeared. The Tamaranean's feelings were strong, however, and it could not escape the call to hurt the non-sister.

Angry at having been lead to such a small, confusing planet, the creature mixed its own feelings with that of its donor. The light bolts had been a welcome surprise, as it could not remember Tamaraneans having such a power, and it had quickly used them for its own purposes. And those of the dark one. The non-sister hadn't come immediately after the explosion rocked the weak structure, but she had come eventually and brought others. It had not counted on other beings and so it slinked back to the safe place.

Exploring the safe place, the creature had discovered things that made loud noises and bright lights. Shifting back into the body of the Tamaranean had shielded it from the blast and it had been filled with new feelings. Even when the witch had come and hurled darkness towards it, the creature had not been able to stop its "laughter." The non-sister had come and hurt it – the Tamaranean's DNA must have been breaking down – and it managed to steal from the non-sister before sinking back through the cracks.

Now all it could think of was the red girl and how she wanted the masked boy. It was difficult to stay in one place, but the creature knew it wasn't well enough to slink back to the surface just yet. Clenching its new formed fists and reacquainting itself to the new, green, light bolts, it waited and grew depressed. It hoped the masked boy would come alone so that it could see him before killing the witch and the red girl. The smell of new soil and the sound of light voices brought it out of its hiding spot. It was ready.

---

Quick Note: I promised fluff for this chapter, but, I finally got inspiration for the villain! Its non-cannon and just some random creature from space, nothing too snazzy, but, I liked the way it tied everything together. Short little "intermission" of sorts; I figured you like a little explanation. I'm going to try and get as many chapters up as possible today (I'm really in a writing mood), because school starts tomorrow. Cross your fingers, kids.


	9. Chapter 9: Hop, Skip, Jump

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 9: Hop, Skip, Jump

---

Starfire decided, scant minutes into her shower, that it would have been the best shower she had ever experienced had two things been different. Were the skin over her knuckles not cracked from fighting her sister's weak twin, she would not have had to spend several minutes watching her own blood mix with the hot water down the drain. Had Robin taken up her blatant offer to join her in the steaming spray, she would have been less inclined to hurry through the methodical bathing. As it stood, however, she sped through the bathing part and hurried out of the steaming bathing room.

And smacked directly into a very tired looking, very bare chested Robin. X'Hal was surly punishing her for some crime she was unaware of.

Her Robin had looked at her with wide eyes, spun her back around in the direction of his room, and muttered something confusing about covering up. Taking stock of her appearance, the red head decided that she was indeed covered, in a nice fluffy towel, and that it was Robin who should be following his own advice. With a small smile plastered on her lips, the princess of Tamaran grabbed a brush from her room before letting herself into her "boyfriend's" room. Sitting on the edge of his bed, noticing that he hadn't had time to meticulously straighten the cover she had unmade, Starfire began running her brush through her damp locks and waited.

There were many things she did not understand on Earth and her Boy of Wonder had a category all to himself. He tried, the alien mused, to explain "just friends" versus "boyfriend and girlfriend," not to mention how the Earth differed from Tamaran on matters of sex, courtship, and emotion. Starfire decided that he did a much better job of playing the Titan's detective. Even after she had brought him back to the Tower for Raven's prescribed "shower and a nap," Robin simply went all red and refused to speak to her.

After twenty four hours of not kissing him, the lack of contact was beginning to wear on her nerves, which was why she was tucked away in Robin's room, sitting on the edge of his bed in nothing but a towel. She would be Koriand'r, putting Starfire away for a moment, and try to do a better job of explaining than Robin had. If Raven, whose father was evil incarnate, and Beast Boy, who was a green shape shifter, could work out a solid bond than she was sure that all was not lost for her and her Robin. Hearing the water shut off down the hall, Kory tossed the brush gently across the room and waited.

---

The leader of the Teen Titan's decided he was being unfairly punished for some crime he'd committed against the universe. Having not caught a good glimpse of Star for several days, the fact that she arrived in the middle of the city wearing only one of his shirts and her purple boots had managed to drain all of the coherent thought from his brain. And then she'd been panting and rather wild looking and he swore he'd kill Beast Boy and Cyborg if they ever happened to see her like that again. Just when he'd somehow managed to get his raging hormones in check, she'd wrapped her arms around him and took off with her body pressed firmly against his own.

Robin wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to touch down on the roof of the Tower and not rip her clothes off right there, but, he had and he'd done a very good job of it. He truly deserved his name of "Boy Wonder" for not taking up her shower invitation and taking the leggy, absolutely gorgeous red head right then and there. Surely even Batman didn't have that kind of personal fortitude. But, he had to remind himself that he was, in fact, the leader of the team and there was a dangerous villain to deal with.

He knew that if he started anything with Star now, they'd even up in bed all day and no force on Heaven or Earth would be strong enough to make him stop then. He was only human after all.

Toweling his hair dry and slipping his mask back on to his face, Robin decided to take Raven's advice and nap. Cyborg had promised to do some research while the other Titan's rested, in hopes that it would uncover something about the newest threat to Jump City, and he was in no mood to help out. Even if the information from S.T.A.R. labs had been helpful, it still didn't excuse the fact that Cyborg had gone behind his back after Robin had specifically told him not to. Squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose, he entered his room silently and it was all he could do to keep breathing.

Dick Grayson decided he was the luckiest bastard in the entire universe. Starfire was laying on the edge of the bed, still clad in the towel he had gruffly told her to change out of, and looking like an angel. Her green eyes were shut, her lips parted softly, and her chest rising and falling slowly. Sinking down on the mattress of his bed, careful not to wake his sleeping princess, Robin brushed a lock of hair out of Star's face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Mmm…oh, my apologies, I was going to surprise…"

Even when she sat up and the towel dipped dangerously low, Starfire was still the picture of innocence. Chuckling softly and kissing her again, this time of the tip of her nose, he wondered how he could have taken so long to profess his feelings for her. The warm heat of her body against his was enough to bring all his thoughts, romantic and otherwise, to a crashing halt. When her lips claimed his and her hands sought to undo the white cotton around his waist, Robin simply gave up. For the first time in a long time he felt warm and safe and loved. And tracing his fingers along the smooth skin of her abdomen, he realized that she was the closest thing to love as he was ever going to get.

---

Star, because that's what her Robin had called out so many hours before, woke to the feeling of strong, warm arms wrapped around her body. Careful not to disturb the figure beside her, she slipped out of his grasp and slowly ran her hands down her body. Perhaps Raven had been right when she had said that nothing changed after this mating; quite frankly, she didn't feel any different. Brushing her damp bangs away from her forehead, Star made to snuggle back against Robin and was startled to find his masked eyes open and watching her.

"Oh, it was not my intention to wake you. I simply wanted to check that no physical changes had resulted from our mating, Robin."

She watched him cringe ever so slightly and felt as if her heart had dropped out of her body. Body taut, bracing herself for whatever unpleasantness that was to follow, Starfire didn't realize she was holding her breath until Robin began running his thumb along the varied marks that marred her usually flawless skin.

"Well, I think I left a mark here…and there…and well, I'm sure you did some damage yourself. You're all right though…it's different from my side of things…you don't…hurt?"

His voice was so soft and full of concern that she couldn't help but shake her head. Granted, she felt a little sore, but, every Earthly source she'd ever encountered said that it was normal. Not that it mattered because she finally had her Robin and he was lying beside her and touching her face. A communicator went off moments later and when her bed partner made no move to answer it, Star reached her arm over his body to retrieve it. Stopped by his hand, she made an annoyed sound and frowned.

"But our friends…"

"I don't ever want you to feel like you have to call me Robin when we're in here…doing this…again. So, Kory…outside of this room I can be your Robin, but, I'm just normal, average Dick Grayson in here with you. How's that sound?"

"Wonderful…"

Answering the communicator moments later in a rather love-struck haze, Kory attempted to angle the view screen in such a way that Dick's nibbling on her earlobe wouldn't be apparent to Cyborg. Silence ticked by before the cybernetic man let out a triumphant whoop and whipped around to face Beast Boy.

"I told you they were doing it…that's five bucks, sucker, five easy bucks."

"Awww man, but, I was sure that…"

"Just remember, love, someone still has to eat his own leg."

A groan replaced Cyborg's beaming smile and every occupant in the Tower except the resident goth blushed at her use of "love" to refer to the green changeling. Clearing her throat in an attempt to get everyone's attention, the princess raised and eyebrow and ignored what her boyfriend was currently doing with his hidden hands.

"As pleased as I am that you have finally learned to not barge into the rooms of others, I still wish to know why you have interrupted."

"Oh, yeah, that…right! Seems like the computer's picked up some weird disturbance underneath the park that matches energy given off from earlier today and I thought ya'll would want to check it out."

The flashing red lights droned out Cyborg's smug tone and Star fumbled with the communicator in an attempt to shut it off. Untangling herself from her Robin, she made a hurried attempt to find her clothes. Stopping up short when she felt his hand on the small of her back, Starfire took the proffered towel and rushed down the hall. Even though that disturbance had made itself known, she couldn't help up giggle at Robin's words even as she raced to change into her uniform.

"I never, ever want to see you in something other than your uniform in the middle of Jump City…"

---

Quick Note: Finally! Our favorite couple gets lucky. I'm hoping that you have as much fun reading this chapter as I did writing it. Although the opening scene of the first chapter was by far my favorite, this one runs a close second. If you're good, I might manage to finish this up within the next day or so.


	10. Chapter 10: Big Bang

The Young and the Hopeless

Chapter 10: Big Bang

---

The scene at the park was reminiscent of the mall but, if the screaming voices were to be any indication, not nearly as terrible. To her left, Beast Boy was pulling a gang of pre-schoolers onto his back with his trunk, his tough elephant hide fending off the starbolts that he couldn't avoid. A bubble of dark energy surrounded the children and their green rescuer while Raven's other hand shielded those who had been separated by the initial attack.

Parks were supposed to be safe. Banks were never safe and museums were safe only some of the time. Apparently Starfire's "evil, vile, most horrible" twin hadn't known. Or perhaps it had. Quite frankly, she didn't want to think about it.

The, surprisingly quickly recovered, Tamaranean was currently flying the frightened park patrons to safety while the Titan's fearless leader was attempting to secure the scene. Raven silently admitted he was doing a fairly good job though it couldn't have been that hard. After all, no one actually wanted to venture into the park with a melting pretend Tamaranean. Or supposed melting pretend Tamaranean. The purple suit that had fit so well on Blackfire's body double seemed to sag on the Starfire clone. No to mention it had been completely laid to waste during the first attack.

Blue light blazed out of the corner of the empath's eye and she whipped around to see Cyborg firing a series of rapid laser cannon blasts at the imposter. Seemingly unfazed, the now somewhat green tinted, Starfire double continued to flit around the park oblivious of the attack. Violet eyes squinting hard, Raven nearly doubled over at the impression she got from her mind skimming.

The fake wanted Robin, bad. And it wanted Raven and Starfire's heads on a pike almost as badly. This was a very bad thing for the two women in question. Then again, it was Cyborg who sailed past in the air and dug a trench as his body slid across the turf.

Starfire lighted at his side and the half demon growled, her half machine, half human friend was out cold. She was unable to focus on just how many ways she was going to make the fake suffer because Beast Boy had courageously joined the fray to protect the honor of his fallen friend.

Mistake one: do not allow your boyfriend and colleague to join into battle with a psychotic alien sampling Tamaranean DNA. Mistake two: do not lose your head when said boyfriend turns up looking broken in the sandbox.

Unfortunately, try as she might, Raven couldn't keep her teeth from drawing blood inside her cheek when a pair of twin starbolts sent a bloodied dinosaur skidding halfway across the park. She ignored Robin, who was shouting orders above Cyborg's lifeless body, and shook off Starfire's offending hand. This all was becoming entirely too much. Rising up several feet from the ground, narrowed eyes completely devoid of color, the goth hero was surrounded in a swirling darkness. Enveloping a park bench in the same energy, she sent it flying in the clone's direction and smirked when it found its mark with a satisfying thump. It didn't take much longer for large trees to be sent flying in the same direction, playground equipment and bicycles followed. Raven felt a snap, somewhere deep inside her body, and couldn't help but remember Gar's wish so many weeks ago. If she was going to lose control, it was going to be for a damn good reason.

Whatever the fucking thing was, it was going to pay for hurting what was hers.

---

The sky was turning black and the ground shook with the force of Raven's power, Robin continued shouting nonsensical orders, hoping that it would break the hold her unleashed powers had over her. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Starfire dragging Beast Boy from his broken spot inside the sand to join the fallen Cyborg. Both were finally beginning to stir and the Tamaranean was doing her best to keep them quiet.

"Just keep them still, Star."

"Boy…Wonder…"

His head whipped around to catch sight of the fake, which seemed to be falling apart at the seams, and was dutifully ignoring Raven's attempts to dismember it. Added to its borrowed powers of flight, it seemed to dissolve and shimmer out of the way. When the occasionally charged piece of scenery would manage to hit the clone, it would simply shake it off and continue dipping and bobbing in order to get the best view of Robin.

"How quaint, Robin, the creature thinks it has a chance with you. Quaint, quaint, quaint…and now I'm going to rip it apart limb by limb by…"

A quickly thrown grappling hook managed to sail around Raven's ankle as she went flying past, the green slim that had replaced the fake's orange tinted arm still clutching around her neck. He prayed the tilt of her head was just a trick of light and that Beast Boy wouldn't wake to see her crashing down to earth. Clenching his fists, Robin clipped the hook to his utility belt and dove as the line began retracting. Somehow he managed a mouth full of dirt and more than a handful of the Titan's empath. And even though he couldn't quite see it, he could feel the charge through the air as Starfire zoomed past towards Raven's attacker.

"Damn it, Star, don't…"

He was struggling to his feet but it wasn't doing much good. Tripping on a ripped up tree, barely catching the girl in his arms as he tumbled, Robin managed to kneel down beside the other two laid out members. He couldn't, not with all his thoughts jumbled together and racing, remember a time when he'd fought Star, but, he could remember her recounting her fights with her sister. Somehow this creature had adapted from the last time and was no longer masking its DNA. It was evolving and shifting back and forth. A green, melting Star might be replaced with a deadly gagging arm or retractable limbs. The masked leader felt absolutely helpless.

Dragging himself up to standing and clutching at his belt, he staggered towards the fighting twins. At times it almost seemed too surreal to watch his girl fighting herself and had to shake his head to correct his hazy vision. Raven's words echoed in his head and he hoped the creature would continue to ignore him as a combative threat.

For Star's sake, he forced himself to continue standing. If Dr. Sarah was correct, he only had one shot at this.

---

"You killed people…you hurt my friends…and you will not, will not have my Robin."

The creature continued to feel less solid and Starfire decided, in a singular moment of clarity, that it was a wondrous thing indeed. Her hands had gone numb cracking her own ribs, or, copies of her own ribs and she wondered just how the disgusting thing continued to weave through the air. It should be dead and she had no qualms in running it into the ground.

It wouldn't speak, or couldn't, and only occasionally did it utter her own words back to her. Words that referred back to her Robin, it was enough to make the Tamaranean's blood boil. She hadn't wanted to rip a being's heart from its chest since she had first found herself the captive of the Psions. Briefly she wondered if the creature even had a heart and then realized it didn't matter.

She gasped hard as the other her liquefied and slipped through her fingers, then wrapped around her waist and squeezed hard. Fighting for breath, Starfire shut her eyes tightly and felt her body reverberate with green energy. Screaming loudly as the air around her exploded with solar waves, the red head sunk down and out of its loosened grasp.

Coughing hard, wondering if the fake had returned the favor and broken some of her bones, her green eyes sought out Robin and red hair flopped into her face as she nodded wildly. The creature had stopped resembling her form entirely and the floating goop was slowly dripping from its suspended position in the air.

"Now…before it…"

She watched, blood dripping from her nose, as the polymer container sailed through empty space and opened in a flash of light. A smile broke her lips as the clank of metal preceded the sharp click shut and her attention became completely focused on the cybernetic man rising from the park grounds.

"Fuck, Star, you let that tub of jello do that to you?"

"Cyborg…I must demand that you shut up before I manually remove your vocal cords with my hands."

"Raven!"

All were surprised when the Tamaranean rushed from her hunched spot to clutch Raven around the waist, all but collapsing in the process. She didn't seem to mind it when the dark haired woman reversed their places and helped hoist her to her feet. Head lolling to the side, Starfire giggled when her heavy lidded eyes met Robin's.

"I think…I think we got…it."

"It's truly touching that you're all helping Star, Raven, but, couldn't someone pick me up? I think I landed wrong on my trunk…"

"When we get back…I swear to God we're going to talk about implementing a too much information clause."

"Shut up, tin can, and help me up."

Resting her head on Raven's shoulder, the alien princess forced a smile when Cyborg hoisted Beast Boy across his back. But, she didn't let her head loll against her chest until Robin had picked up the polymer container that imprisoned what was left of the creature.

"Dear friends, let's go home."

---

Quick Note: Oh, God, is it really over? This is, my dears, the final chapter of The Young and the Hopeless. The Epilogue is finished and ready for upload (I couldn't write chapter 10 until it was out of the way), but this is the last real chapter. Thank you so much for staying loyal and keeping up…and for urging me to continue. I hope my first Teen Titans fic was up to snuff, I had an absolutely amazing time writing it. Expect more from me in the future – in the very near future. I just want to thank my readers one more time for being so amazing, you guys rock. Hard.


	11. Epilogue: Business as Usual

The Young and the Hopeless

Epilogue: Business as Usual

---

The windows over looking the bay were uncovered, allowing for natural light to filter into the Titan's living room. Surprisingly, the large television was turned off for once, even though Cyborg had fixed the latest "short" hours before. The mechanical teen was currently holed up in the kitchen, attempting to fix his famous spaghetti while talking on the phone to Sarah; whom Starfire referred to as his "most dearest, sweet, darling doctor." Although he denied it, it didn't stop his cheeks from becoming the most brilliant shade of red.

Speaking of the red head, she was currently resting in between Robin's legs, her back pressed flush with his chest. His gloved fingers were lazily threaded through her long hair and his chin was balanced at an angle on her shoulder. With her arms stretched back and intertwined around his neck, they looked quite pleased with themselves.

"I still say we should have made Cy eat his leg."

Of course, the quiet moment couldn't last for long with Beast Boy in the room. Mimicking the couple on the couch, Gar and Raven seemed to be quite comfortable themselves. Although she was leaned back on her chair with a book hovering in front of her face, it didn't mean she was completely ignoring her green boyfriend. His head was resting in her lap, his arms wrapped around her waist, and his legs were propped up at the knees. Having lifted his head up briefly to shout his pronouncement across the silent room, he'd returned it back to its previous position. Not before his dark haired girlfriend had smacked him on the head.

"Yes, the eating of his leg would have been most humorous."

Robin simply chuckled and moved to kiss his Tamaranean below her ear. Raven made a rude noise and Beast Boy made a move to throw a pillow in their general direction. His aim was terrible as always. It had been business as usual in Jump City the months following the creature's attack, the normal assortment of human vice and meta human crimes. No blobs from outer space, no doppelgangers, and no more staggered patrols.

Cyborg emerged from the kitchen, a huge pot of sauce in his large hands, and looked from couple to couple before turning back around. Humming loudly under his breath, a huge smile plastered across his face, he might as well have been planning a joint wedding. The four Titans in the room exchanged glances and shuddered. A page in Raven's book turned, the remote blew up when Beast Boy reached for it, and the tall man in the kitchen groaned loudly at something else he had to fix.

"So, I was thinking that we should think about revamping patrols again. What do you think? We could draw lots or…"

"I think, dear Robin, that if you continue talking like this I may never touch you again."

Holding up his hands in defense, the usually serious leader of the Titans grinned wirily, as Raven sent pillows in his direction via dark energy and Starfire struck him playfully with her fists. Rubbing his shoulder, he grabbed a pillow out of the air and knocked her up the side of the head with it.

"Oooo…do it again, Bird Boy, I want to see what happens to your perpetual good mood if Star refuses to touch you again."

"I agree with BB, in the words of your girlfriend…that would be most humorous."

Everyone chuckled except for Star, who looked extremely lost, and Beast Boy rose up from his spot on Raven's lap and started towards the kitchen. What followed was the usual argument of Cyborg's meat obsession versus Beast Boy's vegetarian sensibilities. Star clasped her hands over her ears and began humming a very loud Tamaranean harvest song while Raven and Robin exchanged annoyed glances and went back to looking at the shattered remote.

"One day, I'm going to change into a cow and then I'll get lost in a slaughter house and what are you going to do then? Would you eat me, Cyborg? A big, juicy Beast Boy steak, mmm mmm mmm!"

"Rae, girl, I think you're boy toy is hitting on me. Shit, dude, that's absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't eat you if you offered your nasty, green self to me. I'm making this with meat and you can have your own damned tofu salad if you don't want any of it."

"I'm so going to kick your ass all the way to Gotham City."

"Robin, do Beast Boy and Cyborg have what is called a…um…home-ah-sexual relationship?"

It was so quiet in the Tower that a pin dropping in the basement could have been heard from the training room. The changeling and the cybernetic teen exchanged worried glances and took a step back from each other. Identical expressions of embarrassment flitted across their faces and they rocked back on their heels. Raven shook her head and shut her floating book loudly.

"No, Starfire, they're just idiots is all."

"Besides, Cyborg has his sweet little doctor at S.T.A.R. labs."

"Damn it, she's not my girlfriend!"

Cyborg's outburst was enough to break the tension in the room and everyone burst out laughing. Well, Raven smirked a bit, but, everyone else broke down into loud laughter. After a few minutes, the cook announced over Beast Boy's loud complaints that dinner was very ready and Starfire sprung up from her perch on Robin's lap to "go put the plates and silver wares in their set places on the table."

Yes, it was business as usual at Teen Titan headquarters. Raven was already seated with her cup of herbal tea, Beast Boy and Cyborg had resumed their arguing, and Robin was doing an extremely poor job of keeping Starfire from stabbing herself with the utensils. Steering her towards her seat while breaking up the fighting duo, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before settling down beside her.

It seemed, for once, that the young might not necessarily be so hopeless. Or, perhaps they were, but they've figured it out for the time being. Passing around spaghetti and tofu salad, the small group of heroes almost laughed when the blaring alarm went off through the Tower. Rising from the table in a flurry of movement, Beast Boy stuffing as much food in his mouth as he could, Robin rushed towards the door and smirked over his shoulder.

"Titans go!"

---

Fin.


End file.
